"Why aren't they fighting yet?"
"Are they talking? What are they saying?"
The audience couldn't hear what the two on the stage were saying, and those farther away couldn't even make out Taro's subtle movements.
The announcer, holding a microphone at ringside, commented, "It seems that true masters are on a different level. Instead of immediately attacking, Taro and Tao have chosen to test each other's presence! So, who will gain the upper hand first?" He was just making things up on the spot—otherwise, this would be one awkward silence!
"Oh?! Mu Taro just moved! His…" The announcer leaned over the edge of the ring, took off his sunglasses, and blinked. "For some reason, a circular mark has appeared on the ground around him! It looks like something carved out a ring! How did he do that?"
The television broadcast and online livestream provided an overhead view, allowing all viewers to follow the announcer's commentary. The director quickly zoomed in on the scene… and sure enough, there was a circular mark!
On-screen, the two fighters seemed to be talking.
But why did Taro look so calm while Tao's face had turned ashen?
"...Can avoid death."
Tao squeezed these words out through gritted teeth. He wanted to sneer, but his body felt cold, making it impossible to laugh. His ears still rang with Tsuru's previous warning:
"If you run into that guy Taro in the tournament, surrender immediately! Don't hesitate!"
"Don't say I didn't warn you… I can see through your nature, and he certainly can too. People like you? He's killed plenty before!"
"If you keep thinking like that, you're not far from death!"
Forcing himself to muster some courage, Tao glanced at the circular mark around Taro, then at the footprints beneath his feet. Steeling himself, he said, "You're strong, I'll admit that. Maybe I'm no match for you… but this is too much. Aren't you underestimating me?"
"Young man, go ask Tsuru—do I need to take you seriously?" Taro replied calmly, one hand resting behind his back, the other placed near his stomach, standing completely still. "Hurry up and start. Stop wasting time."
A flicker of anger ignited in Tao's heart. Gritting his teeth, he growled, "Don't be ridiculous! Killing someone would get you disqualified! Do you not care about winning the championship?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he charged at Taro with full force!
It was a feint—using conversation to create an opening for an attack!
"The match has begun! Tao has finally launched an attack! Does this mean he gained the upper hand in their earlier battle of wills?" The announcer excitedly shouted into the microphone.
"What nonsense," muttered the two monks watching from the fighter's lounge, shaking their heads. Their expressions grew solemn as they focused on the broadcast. The screen showed Tao sprinting at high speed, closing the several-meter gap in the blink of an eye!
He's almost there!!
Tao lunged forward with his right foot, time seeming to slow. He shifted his gaze from the circular mark on the ground to Taro within it. Heh, old man, you didn't expect this, did you? You won't have time to react. For my goal, for my life… I'll do whatever it takes!
"Idiot," Tsuru muttered in the hotel, closing his eyes. "I told you to surrender immediately—maybe you could've saved yourself… Taro only kills based on his own sense of right and wrong. If you had admitted defeat, he… might not have lowered himself to deal with you."
As the audience, both live and online, struggled to react—
Tao was already in front of Taro!
He was about to step into the circle.
A victorious grin appeared on Tao's face. He thought he'd survived.
"There are many ways to kill, young man."
A deathly whisper echoed in Tao's ears, as if it had seeped directly into his mind.
With a loud "BANG," his forward-leaping body slammed against the air itself.
It was as if an invisible barrier stood in his way!
"How... is this possible..." Tao Pai Pai desperately tried to plant his foot down. As long as he could step forward, he wouldn't have to die. Just one step... Damn it!
Boom! The force of the rebound sent the fierce-looking, bloodthirsty young man flying through the air!
Tumbling across the massive arena, Tao Pai Pai was sent hurtling from the center all the way to the edge. He clawed at the ground with his hands and feet in a frantic attempt to slow himself down. Finally, as he reached the arena's boundary, his bloodied fingers dug into the smooth surface of the severed-mountain stage. His lower body floated in midair, held up by his flight technique—just barely avoiding elimination.
The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned. Just moments ago, it had seemed like Tao Pai Pai had seized the initiative with an aggressive attack, only to be inexplicably flung away in an instant.
What just happened?!
The audience was slow to react, but as they processed the scene, their expressions changed to shock, confusion, and excitement.
"Holy crap, what was that?! Mu Taro didn't even move! How did Tao Pai Pai go flying?!! Someone explain!!" A frantic message popped up in the online broadcast's chat.
"Right before he got launched, Tao Pai Pai was frozen mid-air—what was that about? It didn't look like he stopped himself using flight. It makes no sense! He charged in at full speed, then suddenly just... stopped?" Spectators at the scene debated among themselves.
"I've heard... that true masters of ki can project their energy outside their bodies, but... what kind of technique is this?" A martial artist who had been eliminated earlier in the tournament was watching the final, bewildered. "He didn't even move, and his opponent was sent flying?"
In the waiting room, a pale-faced psychic named Huntun stepped up beside the two monks, staring at the broadcast screen. "That looked like an energy-formed barrier… The boundary of that ring on the ground around Mu Taro—it must be an invisible ki wall."
His small frame trembled with excitement. All his life, he'd believed his psychic abilities were unmatched, yet now, he had witnessed something beyond his comprehension. Was this the true power of martial arts? His curiosity for the path of the warrior ignited.
Even Noah Robe, the swordsman polishing his blade in the corner, had stopped his movements to watch.
The two monks were too stunned to speak.
They were from Orin Temple, where even elder masters had honed their ki to the pinnacle of human ability. Yet, none of them could perform anything like this! Mu Taro's mastery over ki was at a level so refined, so transcendent, that it defied belief.
Smack!
Tao Pai Pai, his clothes torn and blood staining his hands, slammed a palm against the arena's edge and flipped himself back onto the platform.
Shock, fear, and helplessness flickered in his eyes.
One exchange was enough.
Tao Pai Pai understood—completely and utterly understood—that this was an opponent he could not afford to provoke.
He had directly collided with Taro's ki, and he could feel it with absolute clarity.
This entire tournament…
What a joke.
With Taro here, what was the point?
Tsuru seemed to know Mu Taro well. The Crane School, the Muten School… Perhaps they were martial brothers?
How ridiculous.
Compared to Taro, Tsuru's skills were nothing but child's play.
An absolute joke.
Because—
Ki does not lie.
The Muten… Master?
A bitter realization settled deep into Tao Pai Pai's heart.
When Krillin and Gohan sensed Freeza's power from afar, their bodies locked up in terror, unable to move, barely able to breathe. Even then, they had the courage to stand before the tyrant.
But Tao Pai Pai…
He did not have that courage.
After what he had just witnessed—after experiencing that absolute power—he could no longer stand before Taro. Not for one more second.
He didn't want to die.
He didn't want to die.
He really didn't want to die!!
"Tao Pai Pai is once again standing before Mu Taro! He has yet to surrender! This is the tenacity of a true martial artist! What kind of incredible exchange will we see next? Let's all watch closely!"
The announcer did his best to keep up the energy in his commentary.
But he and the audience—whether at the venue, in front of their TVs, or watching online—had already come to the same conclusion.
Tao Pai Pai had no chance.
One side stood battered and shaken, while the other had not even moved an inch.
This gap…
How could he possibly win?
How could he possibly fight?
"Continue."
Though Taro stood far away, his voice rang clear as a bell in Tao Pai Pai's ears.
Tao Pai Pai couldn't see his expression, but he could imagine it—the cold, indifferent gaze of someone looking at nothing more than a corpse.
Damn it!
If he tried to run, he'd be struck down from behind instantly, wouldn't he?
Damn it!
What could he do? Breaking through that ki barrier was impossible…
Damn it!
That bastard never intended to let him live!
Damn it…
Tao Pai Pai's fear was beyond words. But then, as he stared at Mu Taro's motionless figure across the ring, a thought flashed through his mind.
He took a deep breath.
The announcer, standing just outside the ring, noticed the shift in his posture and spoke into the microphone:
"Tao Pai Pai is adjusting his breathing—it looks like he's about to…"
Taro watched him coldly, unmoving, as Tao Pai Pai suddenly leapt into the air near the edge of the arena.
Ki surged to the tips of his index fingers at an alarming speed.
"If you're so righteous, then don't move!!" Tao Pai Pai howled, his voice laced with madness. "You think you've seen through my true nature?! You want to rid the world of evil?! Then let me tell you—if you don't move, all these people will die because of you!!"
The light at his fingertips intensified as the energy of his Dodonpa attack built to its peak.
For a brief moment, the audience was frozen in shock. Then, the realization hit them all at once.
What the hell was he doing?!
Was he about to kill the spectators?!!!
"RUN!!!"
"HELP!!!"
"HE'S LOST HIS MIND!!!"
Chaos erupted. Thousands—tens of thousands—of spectators panicked, ready to flee. In such a massive stampede, countless people would be trampled to death before they even reached the exits.
The announcer stood frozen, staring up at Tao Pai Pai, whose two glowing fingers blazed like burning stars in the sky.
"He's lost it!" Ninn muttered in the VIP section, frowning deeply.
Tam was equally silent, his brows furrowed. The audience devolved further into madness, but among them, only Hathaway remained completely calm, watching without a trace of concern.
And then—
At the most critical moment—
Taro remained in place.
His feet never moved.
He simply lifted one foot—
And lightly stomped it back down.
Hummmm—
Just as the audience was about to descend into uncontrollable chaos, an invisible force crashed down upon them, as if the sky itself had been flipped upside down and was now pressing them into place.
Like a typhoon sweeping across the entire severed-mountain arena, the force enveloped every corner, every seat.
A gentle yet undeniable power settled upon them, freezing everyone in place before they could even take a single step.
"Do not panic."
Taro's voice resounded in every person's mind.
It was absolute. Unquestionable.
The entire arena stood in stunned silence, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
And then—
Just as Tao Pai Pai, in his madness, was about to unleash a barrage of Dodonpa blasts upon the helpless crowd—
Mu Taro, still standing exactly where he had been from the start—
Glanced at him.
And Tao Pai Pai exploded in midair.